Preparing RFPs for Development

Here at Koombea, we quote a lot of development projects from small prototypes to large enterprise software projects. Development “quotes” seem easy enough on the outside, but all experts know the more information you have, the more information you can give.

Since the proof is in the pudding, we like to take our experience and past projects, combined with fresh knowledge of new projects, to create expectation project plans and quotes that are realistic and success-proven.

We sat down with one of our product managers, Ellie Cachette, to go over some of the best practices with getting development quotes. She boiled down some key points helpful for preparing for getting “dev quotes”, or otherwise known as organizing for a Request for Proposal.

Organize documents

Putting all documents into one space is a good first start: whether that is a Google Drive or Dropbox, simply creating a folder is a good start. Then start adding whatever items for inspiration: screenshots, other apps, other documentation, meeting or product notes. You would be surprised, but all these “little bits” add up. The more information you gather, the better for everyone involved.

Central space = central information.

Make an RFP (“Request for Proposal”)

You don’t have to be an expert to make your own RFP and everyone’s RFPs always look different, so don’t feel pressure. An RFP can be as simple as a checklist or paper with basic information about your idea.

For more information on how to validate your digital product, take a look at our checklist here.

Create your document and try to come up with answers to the following questions:

Who

What

When

Where

How

Money/ball park budget

Business requirements

Deadlines.

Review Proposals

After you have completed your RFPs and sent them out for quotes, what you get in return is a “Proposal”. If you have a deadline set, let this be known, so you can review and get everyone’s proposal around the same time. Be sure to allow time for questions and dialogue to make sure everyone has the information they need.

Decide / Kickoff

While these steps can seem like a lot of work especially when everyone is so excited to “build”, all the homework and early steps of the organization makes a world of difference for your project later on. Not to mention they can help you save on costly development that might be unnecessary. Develop wisely.